Psychological functioning and family discord among African-American adolescent females with and without a history of childhood sexual abuse

• Published in: Child abuse & neglect 2001-07, Vol.25 (7), p.973-988
• Main Authors: Cecil, Heather, Matson, Steven C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult; African American females; African Americans - psychology; Age of Onset; Black people; Child abuse & neglect; Child Abuse, Sexual - ethnology; Child Abuse, Sexual - statistics & numerical data; Childhood sexual abuse; Cross-Sectional Studies; Families & family life; Family environment; Family Relations; Female; Females; Humans; Incest; Psychological functioning; Psychology; Psychology, Adolescent; Psychometrics; Regression Analysis; Self Concept; Sex crimes; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers; Wisconsin - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0145-2134; 1873-7757
• DOI: 10.1016/S0145-2134(01)00250-2

Objectives: The aim was to examine the rate of childhood sexual abuse along with the factors (age of abuse onset, type of perpetrator, and duration of the abuse), as well as the relationship of these factors to psychological functioning among females with a history of childhood abuse. Second, to determine whether levels of psychological functioning and family discord differ among females with and without a history of childhood sexual abuse. Method: A cross-sectional design was used. Two hundred and forty-nine adolescent females were recruited from a community-based health program. Two trained female interviewers administered an anonymous survey that assessed childhood sexual abuse, psychological functioning, and family environment. Results: Fifty-seven (22.9%) of those surveyed reported childhood sexual abuse, of which 44.3% were intrafamilial and 55.7% were interfamilial. Age at onset ranged from 3 years to 17 years; 62.5% reported that the sexual abuse occurred 1 to 4 times; 27.9% reported a duration ranging from 1 year to 13 years; and 9.6% reported a duration of 1 month to 7 months. Multiple regression analysis revealed that a greater duration predicted higher levels of depression and lower levels of self-esteem among females with a history of sexual abuse. Females with a history of childhood sexual abuse scored significantly lower on measures of self-esteem and mastery, and significantly higher on measures of physical and emotional abuse. Conclusions: Results indicate that adolescent females with a history of chidhood sexual abuse suffer an array of negative sequelae that include psychological and family distress. Objectif: Dans un premier temps, examiner chez un groupe de femmes de race noire agressées sexuellement durant leur enfance, le lien entre d’une part, le taux des agressions sexuelles (ainsi que les facteurs tels que l’âge de la victime au moment de la première agression, le type d’agresseur et la durée des agressions) et d’autre part, leur fonctionnement psychologique. Dans un deuxième temps, déterminer si les niveaux du fonctionnement psychologique et de la discorde familiale sont différents selon que les femmes ont été ou non victimes d’agressions sexuelles durant leur enfance. Méthodes: Deux cent quarante-neuf adolescentes ont été recrutées dans un program de santé communautaire. Deux femmes formées à la tâche on été choisies pour mener une enquête anonyme afin d’évaluer les agressions sexuelles, le fonctionnement psychologique et le mil